Cessna 207 accident near Toksook Bay, Alaska, November 3, 1995
On November 3, 1995 at about 8:47 pm local time, a Cessna 207, registered N88BC, was substantially damaged in an accident near Toksook Bay, Alaska (Toksook Bay airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). No one was hurt; 7 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's inadequate planning/decision, improper use of the flaps, and inadequate removal of snow/frost from the wings of the airplane. An upsloping runway and snow conditions were factors in the accident.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 3, 1995 · about 8:47 pm local time
- Place
- Toksook Bay, Alaska · Toksook Bay · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 7 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 207 · all 207s on the register
- Registration
- N88BC · no longer on the register · serial 20700748
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The certificated commercial pilot and six passengers were departing a remote airstrip on a scheduled commuter flight. Snow showers were present in the area. The pilot loaded the passengers and waited on the ground for conditions to improve. Prior to departure, the pilot removed snow from the windshield and the leading edge of the wing. After a ground time of about 40 minutes, the pilot began a takeoff on a runway that sloped uphill about 2 percent. The airplane did not become airborne until the pilot added full flaps. The airplane lifted off but could not climb out of ground effect. A small hill was ahead of the pilot and she began to retract the flaps. The airplane collided with rising terrain about 1/4 mile north of the departure end of the runway. A pilot/witness indicated that after the accident, he walked to the accident site and observed snow on the upper surface of the wings.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,732 hours in all; 43 in this make and model; 119 in the last 90 days; 35 in the last 30 days; 1,593 as pilot in command; 101 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 12,884 hours
- Last inspection: approved inspection programme; 14 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,800 lb
- Seats: 7
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-520 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: OOK at 8:47 pm
- Destination: BET Bethel AK
- Runway 33, 1,800 ft by 55 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: dusk
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 1,500 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 6 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.